Introduction
Jesse Hardin Little (born April 15, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. Son of Chad Little, he currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro for JD Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, driving the No. 97 Chevrolet Silverado for Diversified Motorsports Enterprises.
Racing career
A native of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina and a third-generation racer, Little began his racing career in quarter midgets at the age of 7, moving up to Bandoleros in 2007 and Legends cars in 2009. He won the 2010 USAC Eastern Focus Young Guns midget car championship, and in 2011 competed in the UARA Stars late model series.
K&N Pro Series East
Little made his debut in NASCAR competition at the age of 15, competing in seven K&N Pro Series East events in 2012; driving a family-owned No. 97 Chevrolet, he was the youngest driver ever to start a race in the series. He returned to the K&N Pro Series East full-time in 2013, driving for Coulter Motorsports; he finished in the top 10 eight times on his way to the series' Rookie of the Year award. He returned to K&N East competition again in 2014, winning his first race at New Hampshire. Little raced in the K&N East series on a part-time basis in 2015, winning at Iowa Speedway with Hattori Racing Enterprises.
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
In 2015, he added a limited schedule in the Camping World Truck Series in a partnership with ThorSport Racing.
In 2016, he joined his uncle's Truck Series team, JJL Motorsports. He made two attempts in the fall races at Texas and Homestead finishing 20th and 18th respectively.
In 2017, Little and JJL returned, running 4 races. The first one was at Dover, where he finished 14th. He then finished a season best 8th in Iowa. Little next raced at Bristol, continuing his strong performance, finishing 13th. His last start of 2017 came in Phoenix, where he was involved in a late race crash, finishing 18th.
In 2018, Little expanded his schedule to 9 races. He finished with six top tens, the highest finish a 6th at Iowa, his best finish to date in the Truck Series.
In 2019, Little increased his Truck schedule again, planning to run 12 to 15 races in the newly renamed Gander Outdoors Truck Series.
Monster Energy Cup Series
In July 2018, Little joined Premium Motorsports for his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and finishing 35th. Little later joined Gaunt Brothers Racing at Bristol, also finishing 35th.
Xfinity Series
On November 7, 2019, JD Motorsports announced Little would race full-time for the team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting in 2020.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Monster Energy Cup Series
| Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | MENCC | Pts | Ref | ||
| 2018 | Premium Motorsports | 7 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | KAN | CLT | POC | MCH | SON | CHI | DAY | KEN |
NHA | POC | GLN | MCH | 70th | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Gaunt Brothers Racing | 96 | Toyota | BRI |
DAR | IND | LVS | RCH | CLT | DOV | TAL | KAN | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Xfinity Series
| NASCAR Xfinity Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | NXSC | Pts | Ref | ||
| 2020 | JD Motorsports | 4 | Chevy | DAY |
LVS |
CAL |
PHO |
DAR |
CLT |
BRI |
ATL |
HOM |
HOM |
TAL |
POC |
IND |
KEN |
KEN |
TEX |
KAN |
DOV | MOH | MCH | ROA | GLN | DOV | DAY | DAR | RCH | BRI | LVS | CLT | KAN | TEX | MAR | PHO | -* | -* | |||
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | NGTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Team Little Racing | 97 | Toyota | DAY | ATL | MAR | KAN | CLT | DOV |
TEX | GTW | IOW | KEN | ELD | POC | MCH | BRI | MSP | CHI |
NHA | LVS | TAL | MAR | TEX |
PHO | HOM |
42nd | 87 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Rette Jones Racing | 30 | Toyota | DAY | ATL | MAR | KAN | DOV | CLT |
35th | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 81 | TEX |
IOW | GTW | KEN | ELD | POC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | BRI |
MCH | MSP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MB Motorsports | 63 | Chevy | CHI |
NHA | LVS | TAL | MAR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JJL Motorsports | 97 | Toyota | TEX |
PHO | HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | DAY | ATL | MAR | KAN | CLT | DOV |
TEX | GTW | IOW |
KEN | ELD | POC | MCH | BRI |
MSP | CHI | NHA | LVS | TAL | MAR | TEX | PHO |
HOM | 33rd | 110 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Ford | DAY | ATL |
LVS | MAR | DOV |
KAN | CLT |
TEX | IOW |
GTW |
CHI | KEN | ELD | POC | MCH | BRI |
MSP | LVS |
TAL | MAR | TEX |
PHO | HOM |
19th | 275 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | DAY | ATL |
LVS |
MAR | TEX |
DOV |
KAN | CLT |
TEX | IOW |
GTW |
CHI | KEN | POC | ELD | MCH | BRI |
MSP | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO |
HOM |
26th | 149 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Diversified Motorsports Enterprises | Chevy | DAY |
LVS | CLT |
ATL |
HOM | POC | KEN | TEX | KAN | KAN | RCH | DOV | TEX | IOW | ELD | MCH | GTW | MSP | BRI | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | -* | 0* | |||||||||||||||||
K&N Pro Series East
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | NKNPSEC | Pts | Ref | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Team Little Racing | 97 | Chevy | BRI | GRE | RCH |
IOW |
BGS | GRE |
LGY | CNB | COL | IOW | NHA |
DOV |
GRE |
CAR |
20th | 210 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | BRI |
GRE |
PEN |
RCH |
BGS |
IOW |
LGY |
COL |
IOW |
VIR |
GRE |
NHA |
DOV |
RAL |
9th | 449 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | NSM |
DAY |
BRI |
GRE |
RCH |
IOW |
BGS |
FFL |
LGY |
NHA |
COL |
IOW |
GLN |
VIR |
GRE |
DOV |
6th | 546 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Toyota | NSM | GRE | BRI |
IOW |
BGS | LGY | COL | NHA |
DOV |
21st | 184 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hattori Racing Enterprises | 1 | Toyota | IOW |
GLN |
MOT | VIR | RCH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Rette Jones Racing | 29 | Toyota | NSM | MOB |
GRE | BRI |
VIR | DOM | STA | COL | NHA |
IOW |
GLN | GRE | NJM | DOV |
21st | 161 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | JJL Motorsports | 97 | Toyota | NSM | GRE | BRI |
SBO | SBO | MEM | BLN | TMP | NHA | 34th | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hattori Racing Enterprises | 01 | Toyota | IOW |
GLN | LGY | NJM | DOV | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
K&N Pro Series West
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | NKNPSWC | Pts | Ref | |
| 2013 | Team Little Racing | 97 | Chevy | PHO | S99 | BIR | IOW | L44 | SON | CNS | IOW | EVG | SRP | MMP | SMP | AAS | KCR | PHO |
49th | 42 | ||
| 2014 | PHO | IRW | S99 | IOW | KCR |
SON | SLS | CNS | IOW | EVG | KCR |
MMP | AAS | PHO |
21st | 121 | ||||||
Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points